microsoft / microsoft/conductor

feat(cli): allow default log_file to be configured in workflow.yaml

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Dominant language
Python
Stars
448
Forks
65
Avg merge
1d 18h
Merged PRs (30d)
39

Description

Summary

--log-file can only be specified as a CLI argument Workflow authors cannot set a default in the workflow definition.
Users must remember to pass --log-file auto every time -- when forgotten, crashes leave no diagnostic log.

Problem

・When --log-file is not passed, crashes leave no diagnostic information.
・This is especially painful for long-running workflows(30-60 min) that crash near the end.
・default_model, max_tokens, temperature, timeout can already be configured in YAML, but log_file is the exception.

Proposal

Add a log_file field to the runtime: block.

workflow:
  runtime:
    log_file: auto

Accepts the same values as CLI --log-file:
・auto -- Generate a timestamped path in $TMPDIR/conductor/ (same as --log-file auto).
・A file path (e.g. ./logs/run.log) -- Write to that path directly.
・Omitted -- No file logging (current default, unchanged).

Precedence

CLI --log-file overrides the YAML value when both are specified.

・CLI --log-file specified -> Use CLI value
・CLI unset + YAML log_file set -> Use YAML value
・Neither set -> No logging (current behavior)

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the CLI --log-file handling and the workflow runtime: configuration parser. Trace how omitted, auto, and explicit path values are represented, then verify that the CLI value takes precedence over YAML. Done means runtime.log_file accepts the documented values without changing the current no-logging default, with tests covering each precedence case.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
68/100

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